THE MRA NEWSLETTER • NOVEMBER 2017

CONNIE WEIDA NINETY NINE RESTAURANT & PUB, FALL RIVER

HOLLY JOHNSONCOBBLESTONES OF LOWELL, LOWELL

Bartender of theYear

RYAN MITCHELL NED DEVINE’S, BOSTON

Bus, Expo, Runner,

or Bar Back of the Year

DORITA ANGELATS BOSTON COLLEGE DINING SERVICES, NEWTON

Cashier, Counter,

Drive Through of the Year

FAHD KHAZRAJTHE NORTHAMPTON HOTEL, NORTHAMPTON

Food Server of the Year

CARLOS RODRIGUES BRASSERIE JO, BOSTON

JUANA PEGUERO SEAPORT HOTEL/WORLD TRADE CENTER, BOSTON

Prep Cook of the Year

Dishwasher of the Year

NORBERTO “TONY” REYES UNO PIZZERIA & GRILL, DEDHAM

Line Chef of the Year

PAULA CARBEAU TOAST TAB, BOSTON

ZAARA HAYATE-AHMED 110 GRILL, BERLIN

Host/ Hostess

of the Year

Stars Industry

OF THE

2017 MRA

Congratulations to the

People’s Choice of the Year

Sales/ Delivery

Buisiness Partner of

the Year

Click here for the complete Facebook album.

NOVEMBER 2017 • PAGE 2

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Current Issues ................................................... 3

Membership: Service Animals in Restaurants ...4

Member Profile: Cook Restaurants .................. 5

Membership: Two Important Surveys ..............6

Education Training ............................................ 7

Welcome New Members .................................. 8

MRA STAFFBob LuzPresident & Chief Executive Officerbluz@themassrest.org

MEMBERSHIP TEAMKerry Miller Director of Membership Services kmiller@themassrest.org

Bob Brammer Member Services Manager - Central & South bbrammer@themassrest.org

Lynne Johnston Member Services Manager - West ljohnston@themassrest.org

Lina Szymkowski Member Services Manager - Boston & North lszymkowski@themassrest.org

Stephen Clark Director of Government Affairs sclark@themassrest.org

Christine Johnson Director of Communications cjohnson@themassrest.org

Renée Serafino Director of HR & Business Operations rserafino@themassrest.org

Tracy Zibell Educational Foundation Program Assistant tzibell@themassrest.org

Dear Members,

What a fall season we have been treated to – glorious weather, which brought with it a spectacular foliage display and allowed for a sensational Head of the Charles Regatta, but unfortunately not a very special journey for Red Sox Nation! From most reports our sales have continued to hold and even grow which is of course so important to all of us.What the fall has also brought us is a new legislative season and agenda, and with it, come many challenges. The MRA team and

several member employers have been hard at work on Beacon Hill, meeting with the most influential members of both the Senate and the House, to provide them with the both the necessary and pertinent information. There are a number of bills and ballot initiatives which collectively could cause great harm to our industry (please see Steve Clark’s recap on page 3 in this newsletter). As you are all aware, there is a push to increase the Minimum Wage, with both significant dollar numbers and a possible tie to the CPI index being bantered around. In addition, there is talk of an almost tripling or elimination of the Tip Wage, a fact which we believe should not even be discussed in the same breath as the Minimum Wage, as tipped employees are the highest earners in our restaurants.We have the question of the employer paid family leave legislation and/or ballot question. Whether through the ballot or the legislature, this would be the first employer paid leave in the nation. The reason I bring this up is not to alarm you, rather it is to prepare you to support our cause whenever you see a local politician in your restaurant. Let them know how damaging these pieces of legislation could be to your business, and how they would limit your ability to grow, and instead could shrink jobs in the community. It is also to prepare you for when the MRA team comes back and tells us it is time to let the Senate and the House know as collective group, one that employs over 300,000 or 10% of the entire workforce in MA, how this will affect our industry, through letter writing campaigns and state house visitations. We believe we are making good headway already. I know that we can help those who govern to arrive at good balanced decisions, because I know that #TogetherWeWin. I want to sincerely thank you in advance for your help.

Pat Lee

MRA Chairman plee@themassrest.org

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Pat LeeMRA Chairman of the Board

WE ARE MOVINGSome of you already know that we are moving at the end of November

to our new MRA office: 160 East Main St, 2nd floor

Westborough, MA 01581 More details to come.

NOVEMBER 2017 • PAGE 3

CURRENT ISSUES

2018 SHAPING UP TO BE A DANGEROUS YEAR FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

As the end of 2017 is only two short months away, all business owners should be very concerned with what is on the horizon for 2018.Operators are already preparing for the Health Care Tax Assessment which takes effect on January 1, 2018. Click here to read the first summary.

In addition, activists are circumventing the legislative process and using the ballot to advance their own union driven agenda. The activist group Raise up Massachusetts, which is funded mostly by out-of-state labor PACs, is gathering the signatures for three different ballot questions that will change the way you do business and in some cases put operations out of business.The first question would create a $15 minimum wage in Massachusetts and raise the tip wage to $9. A 36% increase in minimum wage and an even more costly 140% increase for tipped employees! Click here to read the second summary.

The second question would expand paid family leave, essentially mandating all employers and employees buy short-term disability insurance. Click here to read the third summary.

Finally, - A constitutional amendment that would impose a 4 percent surtax on all incomes of more than $1 million per year, including those for subchapter S-corporations, LLPs, LLCs, partnerships, and other pass-through entities. This ballot question will take nearly two billion dollars out of the Massachusetts economy and turn it over to the legislature to spend as they see fit.The MRA is staying vigilant by actively engaging the legislature about the dire impacts that any one of these questions alone would have on our industry, never mind when they are all coupled together, but we can’t do it alone. The employer community has to come together to educate legislators and the public to help defeat these proposals or mitigate their impact through legislation. The health of the Massachusetts economy and your bottom line depends on it.

The new Health Connector for Business launches this month, with a new system that makes it easier for small employers with 50 or fewer employees, and brokers, compare and select coverage through Massachusetts’s leading commercial health plans. For the first time, small employers will be able to control their own contributions, while offering their employees a choice of a number of different plans so they can pick the one that best meets their needs. There is also a 15% discount for participation in an easy Wellness Program.

The new platform can be found at MAhealthconnector.org/business.

2018

NEW HEALTH CONNECTOR PLATFORM

NOVEMBER 2017 • PAGE 4

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

SERVICE ANIMALS IN RESTAURANTSWe all have been stretched when dealing with the nuances of allowing service animals into restaurants. What we can and cannot do when someone has asked to allow a service animal into your dining establishment. At our most recent MRA Human Resources Committee Meeting we asked David D’Arcangelo the Director of the Massachusetts Office on Disability to speak on the topic. Here’s the defining information:What is a service animal?A service animal is a dog or a miniature horse that has been individually trained to perform a task or service to assist a person with a disability. Examples of services are:• Guiding a person who is blind.• Alerting a person who is deaf.• Interrupting compulsive behavior.• Retrieving objects, etc.

Animals whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support are not service animals but may have to be allowed in the housing context.

What about certification?Service animals are not required to possess any certification or identification, nor are service animals required to sport a particular vest or badge.Although there are rigorous, formal service animal training programs, Americans with disabilities have the right to train their animals themselves. An individual with a disability accompanied by a service animal may not be asked to provide documentation of a disability, to answer questions regarding his or her disability, or have the service animal demonstrate its work. Only when the individual’s disability is not obvious, staff may ask the following two questions:

1. Is the animal a service animal required because of a disability?2. What task or service is the animal trained to perform?

The law requires the staff to take the individual at their word.

Rights and ResponsibilitiesService Animals:

• Are permitted to go wherever their handler is permitted to go.• Are allowed even if others have fears or allergies to dogs.• Must be under the handler’s control at all times. In most cases this means on a harness or leash.• Must be housebroken.• May not pose a legitimate direct threat to health or safety.• Do not have to be allowed to sit on furniture meant for patrons or to eat from plates provides by a food

establishments.• In Massachusetts, service animals in training have the same status as fully trained service animals.

Further reading from the US Department of Justice:ADA Requirements Service Animals www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htmFAQ Service Animals ADA www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.htmlADA Business Brief Service Animals www.ada.gov/svcanimb.htm

NOVEMBER 2017 • PAGE 5

Restaurant: Cook RestaurantsLocation: Newton and NeedhamYear Founded: Newton: 2013; Needham: 2017 Website: www.cookrestaurants.comMRA Member since: 2015What is your restaurant specialty? Modern scratch cooking.Why is the MRA important to you & your business? The MRA has been a conduit for me to direct concerns, questions and seek out connections and partnerships that have been instrumental to our growth.

WE ARE THE MRAM E M B E R P R O F I L E

Fun Facts about Cook Restaurants:

1. Cook now has 2 locations - one in Needham and one in Newton.

2. The name “Cook” came from Chef Paul Turano asking his daughter what he should call the restaurant and her response was, “Daddy, what do you do? - Call it that.”

3. Cook is a 100% scratch kitchen - everything is made in-house.

4. Every quarter, Cook partners with different charities to raise money.

5. Both Cook locations host graffiti by local artists. 6. Both locations were designed by Chef Paul. 7. Chef Paul has represented the state of

Massachusetts at The Great American Seafood Cook Off in New Orleans.

8. Chef Paul has been on several shows and networks including: NBC, CBS and Food Network.

9. Both restaurants boast a live fire oven bar where customers can sit and order directly from the chef.

10. Chef Paul Turano is part of the Newbury college advisory board assisting culinary students and their programs.

Paul TuranoOwner

NOVEMBER 2017 • PAGE 6

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

The Leisure, Hospitality, and Tourism industry needs your support and participation. As way of background, this study is sponsored by the Boston Foundation and undertaken by the Donahue Institute at UMass Boston. This Boston Foundation statewide industry survey initiative has the support of the MRA, MA Lodging Association, the MA Visitor Industry Council, the GBCVB, and the Convention & Visitors Bureaus/Regional

Tourism Councils across the Commonwealth and other organizations in our industry.

Tourism is a significant source of the money our guests spend in our restaurants. The Boston Foundation is underwriting entirely the cost of this project and I believe the comprehensive analysis that’s being undertaken along with its final policy and programmatic recommendations to the Administration and to the Legislature can lead to significant positive changes for our industry including potential ways in which tourism marketing could and should be funded in the future. The Boston Foundation and the Donahue Institute are top notch professionals with outstanding reputations in our city for credibility around projects they undertake and have proven track records of generating results. I believe this will NOT be a study that ends up sitting on a book shelf at the State House. For example, the MA cultural industry study that the Boston Foundation did a decade ago changed dramatically the way cultural marketing initiatives are funded and supported by state government.

BUT getting the Boston Foundation and the Donahue Institute at UMASS Boston’s support for this project is JUST step one; NOW we need you and other visitor industry leaders across the Commonwealth to take 15 to 20 minutes to fill out this survey document by November 31st.

Link to survey: LHT Survey.

The National Restaurant Association is looking for your help in identifying the federal, state and local issues that are important to you. In addition to getting thoughts on which issues are important, our brief survey aims to identify stakeholders and understand the level of advocacy you are interested in undertaking on the industry’s behalf. There are no right or

wrong answers to any of the questions; just honest feedback.

Please take the short survey here: advocacy impact survey.

THE STATE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS LEISURE, HOSPITALITY, & TOURISM INDUSTRY

NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION ADVOCACY SURVEY

Two Important Industry Surveys that Need Your Participation

NOVEMBER 2017 • PAGE 7

EDUCATION TRAINING AND EVENTS

DATE LOCATION CLASS TIMENovember 13th Kowloon ServSafe Alcohol 3pm - 7pmDecember 12th MRA ServSafe Alcohol 5pm - 9pm November 6th & 20th MRA ServSafe Manager 3pm - 7pmDecember 4th & 18th Kowloon ServSafe Manager 3pm - 7pm November 13th Cape Codder ServSafe Recert 4:30pm - 8:30pmDecember 5th MRA ServSafe Recert 3pm - 7pm

SERVSAFE TRAINING SCHEDULE

To schedule classes or for more info, call (508) 573-4180.

Classes may be cancelled or changed

due to attendance.

CLASS LOCATIONS:

Cape Codder: HyannisMRA: Southborough

Kowloon: Saugus, MA

CHOKE SAVE CLASS - NOVEMBER 15, 2017The Massachusetts Restaurant Association in conjunction with When Seconds Count, located in Salem, MA is proud to offer the required Choke Saving Course at your location our ours. When Seconds Count, Inc. also offers a wide variety of First Aid Kits, Supplies, Posters, and CPR barrier devices.If you, your co-workers, family members or anyone else would like to become familiar with the Heimlich Maneuver and would be interested in having our trained professional staff provide this training, then this course is for you!

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Location: MRA-333 Turnpike Rd, Ste. 102, Southborough

To Register, click HERE

WE CAN BRING THE CLASS TO YOU!If you have 10 or more employees to train, we can bring the class to you. In-house ServSafe Alcohol® Training Programs are available for the same pricing structure listed above with no

instructor fee required. To register or schedule an in-house training program, call the MRAEF at (508) 303-9905.

Location: MRA

333 Turnpike Rd, St. 102 Southborough, MA

Click here for more

information

Massachusetts Restaurant Association333 Turnpike Road - Suite 102, Southborough, MA 01772Phone: (508) 303-9905 Fax: (508) 303-9985 www.themassrest.org

FOLLOW US!

twitter.com/massrestaurantsfacebook.com/marestaurants instagram.com/ma_restaurants Check out the MRA Linkedin Group

THANK YOU TO OUR 2017 ANNUAL SPONSORS:

Established 1933

Ruby Wines,Inc.

|

Alto Forno 41 Cross St, Peabody, MA 01960 (978) 871-2942Daniella Mammola

The Daily Catch323 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113 (617) 523-8567 Maria Freddura

Daniella’s Cafe & Market78 Holten St, Danvers, MA 01923(978) 774-0012 Daniella Mammola

Golden Goose Market Cafe 65 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02109(617) 778-3011 Simone Nocera

Malu’s Lounge & Grill23 Montello St, Brockton, MA 02301 (407) 414-3527Antonia Cardoso

Pellana Steakhouse9 R Sylvan St, Peabody, MA 01960(978) 531-4800

Santarpio’s Pizza-Peabody 71 Newbury St Peabody, MA 01960(978) 535-1811 Val’s Restaurant & Lounge 75 Reservoir St Holden, MA 01520 (508) 829-0900 Valerie James

WELCOME NEW MRA MEMBERS!

FOOD & BEVERAGE OPERATORS BUSINESS PARTNERSAttorneyOgletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. 201 Washington St, Ste. 3500 Boston, MA(617) 994-5700 Mark Burak

Design & ConstructionPhelan Construction 589 Chickering Rd North Andover, MA 01845(978) 296-3327 Teagan Andres

Energy ServicesUGI Energy Services122 Green St, Melrose, MA 02176 (339) 206-6032 Scott Rosselli